Villa Arson is pleased to take part in the fifth edition of the Franco-British artist residency programme Magnetic. Launched in 2022 under the aegis of Fluxus Art Projects, Magnetic is the result of a collaboration between the Institut français du Royaume-Uni and the UK’s public arts funding bodies—the three Arts Councils of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland—and, for Scotland, Creative Scotland. These partners are joined by the Institut français in Paris, the French Ministry of Culture, and the British Council. The call for applications is open until 2 June 2026.

Congratulations to Gil Lekh, alumnus of the 2023 graduating class, 2026 recipient of Une Relève Méditerranéenne. As part of the 2026 Mediterranean Season, the Parallèle association, L’École(s) du Sud, and four partners from art schools and the MIRAMAR network—the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts, the DARET center, the National Institute of Fine Arts of Tétouan, and Les Ateliers Sauvages—are joining forces to present Une Relève Méditerranéenne. A collective and transdisciplinary exhibition, Une Relève Méditerranéenne will bring together 16 emerging Mediterranean artists and will take place from May 21 to August 9, 2026, in Marseille on the 5th floor of the Friche la Belle de Mai. An associated public program will be offered.

Congratulations to Priscilla Benyahia, a 2023 graduate, on her participation in the 2026 edition of 100% L’EXPO, presented from April 8 to 26, 2026 at the Grande Halle de la Villette. A French-Algerian artist based in Paris, Priscilla develops an artistic practice at the intersection of installation, sculpture, image-making and publishing. Her practice flourishes through her fascination with archives and language as sites of resistance, translated into images and objects.

Villa Arson is continuing and strengthening its commitment to arts and cultural education (ACE) in 2026, closely involving its alumni in several projects carried out with schools and cultural partners in the region. Following calls for applications launched in the fall of 2025, five artists who graduated from Villa Arson were selected to work with different audiences.

Marc-Aurèle Ngoma, a 2024 graduate of Villa Arson, completed a residency at the Les Étoiles Cultural Center in Fez, Morocco, from October 6 to November 2, 2025. He led theater and choreography workshops with volunteer participants. These workshops served as the starting point for research into the conditions and modalities of producing a play, from both a decolonial and communist perspective, involving a transformation of his own practice.